China unveils Tianwen-3 plans in search for life on Mars

China celebrated its 11th Space Day on Friday with an update on its planetary exploration for signs of life on Mars. 

The mission to retrieve rocks and soil from the Red Planet, named Tianwen-3, is scheduled to launch in 2028 and should return no less than 500 grams of Martian samples to Earth three years later, China's space agency announced.

China's National Space Administration (CNSA) also shared details about the mission's international participation during an event in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, marking seven decades of its space program.

In April 2025, the CNSA invited scientists from around the world to join the search for extraterrestrial life, allocating 20 kilograms of payload capacity onboard the Tianwen-3 spacecraft for their equipment. Five out of 28 applicants were picked for "high scientific value, effective mission support, solid engineering feasibility and high technological maturity," the CNSA said.

The orbiter, which will fly around Mars, will carry three instruments: 

- The Mars PEX spectrometer, led by the exploration working group of the Space Research Committee, to detect signs of past or present life and analyze surface mineral composition, 

- The Mars molecular ion composition analyzer, led by Macau University of Science and Technology, to study the atmospheric escape processes,

- And a laser heterodyne spectrometer, led by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, to map atmospheric water isotope distributions and Martian wind fields.

The service module will carry a Mars surface-object hyperspectral imaging instrument, led by the University of Hong Kong, designed to detect traces of life, hydrated minerals, and conduct resource surveys. 

On the lander, a laser retroreflector array, led by Frascati National Laboratory of Italy's National Institute for Nuclear Physics, will deploy a precise reference points on the Martian surface.

(With input from Xinhua)